Hobart, Tasmania

Friday was our last “early” day of this trip.  We were up before 6 AM and headed to the airport again n.  This time we were headed 360 miles south to the island of Tasmania.  Tasmania is about as far south as Wisconsin is north.  The climate by the sea is more moderate, but it is very green, lush and beautiful.

After collecting our hire car (picking up our rental) we headed down the peninsula to the formal penal colony of Port Arthur.  On the way, we passed some beautiful cliffs and geological formations.

Port Arthur was one of those wonderful vacation surprises.  I expected to see some ruins of the prison, read a few plaques and move on.  Instead, it was a wonderfully curated, beautifully preserved world heritage site.  The day included several commentated tours and a great historical lesson.  It revealed a lot about the current day Tasmanian people through their history.

We returned to town and our hotel was in a lovely and vibrant part of town.  There are great restaurants and sites very nearby.

Our hotel is on the pier behind the ship

Our second and last day in Hobart with a walk through the marvelous morning farmers market.  It rivaled and perhaps surpassed the one in Madison.  In addition to fresh produced, baked goods and food of all kinds, there were locally produced Tasmanian crafts and produce.

The Salamanca market with Mount Wellington in the background 

Our next adventure was a city tour.  Our guide was a young woman with pink hair.  She told marvelous stories of the history of the city, interspersed with information on Hobart today and food and drink recommendations.

Our tour guide and the statue of Abel Tasman

To end the day, we picked up our bikes and prepared for the beginning of our bike tour tomorrow.  We feasted on food from the market and a nice bottle of Tasmanian wine for dinner.

Tomorrow we start cycling.  I hope to post a couple of times along the way.